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07/31/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even a trip to spacious Petco Park couldn't derail the Marlins' power train. Florida seeks a sixth straight victory at the Padres' home park as it continues a three-game set tonight with San Diego.
The Marlins got home runs from Gaby Sanchez and Cody Ross in last night's 4-2 victory, giving them 10 long balls in their last five games. Hanley Ramirez and Logan Morrison also drove in a run each as Florida has now won two straight, four of six and 10 of its last 14 overall.
"They're making adjustments," Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said of the recent homer surge. "They are staying back more. They're not swinging at bad pitches. I think that's the key. They are not swinging at bad pitches. Their strike zone is smaller. They're getting ahead more in the count."
Chris Volstad benefited from the home runs, yielding two runs over five-plus innings to get his first victory since June 13.
Florida also spoiled the debut of Miguel Tejada, who went 0-for-3 with a walk in his first game with the Padres since being acquired from Baltimore on Thursday.
"I don't want to put pressure on myself," Tejada said. "I just want to play the same game I've always played. I do whatever I can do to help the team."
Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Headley had an RBI apiece for the Padres, who had won five of six coming in and saw their lead over the second-place Giants fall to 2 1/2 games in the National League West.
Yorvit Torrealba went 2-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 13 games and Wade LeBlanc allowed four runs on five hits in a 6 1/3-inning start to suffer the loss.
San Diego had a five-game series winning streak halted, a run that included a three-game sweep in Florida from June 25-27. The Padres have now lost five in a row at home to the Marlins, who haven't lost at Petco Park since July 8, 2008.
The Marlins hope to continue their power run tonight and help Ricky Nolasco earn a third straight winning start.
The right-hander is coming off Monday's win over the Giants as he pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed a run on four hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. He has a 3.40 earned run average in his last seven starts with 57 strikeouts, and is 11-7 with a 4.35 ERA on the season.
Nolasco is an excellent 7-2 with a 3.93 in 11 road starts this season. The 27- year-old is also 2-2 with a 3.94 ERA lifetime versus San Diego.
Kevin Correia has won back-to-back starts after going 0-2 in his previous seven and will look to improve on his 7-6 mark and 5.09 ERA this season.
The 29-year-old righty bested Pittsburgh last Friday, yielding three runs -- two earned -- on six hits and three walks over six innings.
Correia recorded a win over the Marlins on April 28 even though he gave up four runs in five innings of work. He is 2-2 versus them lifetime in 12 games (five starts) with a 6.94 ERA.
<< Angels shoot for another win over first-place Rangers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim continue their quest to
gain ground on the Texas Rangers as the top two teams in the AL West continue
their three-game weekend series.
Newly-acquired Dan Haren will make his second start f
<< White Sox aim for 13th straight home win vs. A's
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago will attempt to extend its home winning streak to
13 consecutive games tonight as they continue a three-game weekend set at
U.S. Cellular Field against the Oakland Athletics.
Yesterday, Gordon Beckham had two hits
<< Winds of change surround Brewers-Astros clash
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Things sure are changing in the Astros' clubhouse in a
hurry, but that hasn't stopped the club from putting together a little win
streak.
Having already traded one face of the franchise, Houston appears on the verge
of sh
<< Nats try to extend win streak against Phillies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Usually sellers around the non-waiver trade deadline, the
Nationals didn't seem to impressed on Friday with the Phillies' big midseason
pickup.
One day after spoiling the Philadelphia debut of Roy Oswalt, Washington will
Bucs agree to terms with McCoy, Penn >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and first-round draft
pick Gerald McCoy have agreed to terms.
McCoy, a defensive tackle from Oklahoma selected with the third overall pick
of April's draft, reportedly agreed to a fi
Indians activate Wood off DL >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians on Saturday activated
pitcher Kerry Wood from the 15-day disabled list.
Wood last pitched on July 11 before landing on the DL with a blister on his
right index finger. It was the
Sadler tops Kahne for Pocono truck pole >>
Long Pond, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Elliott Sadler won the pole position for
Saturday's inaugural Pocono Mountains 125 Camping World Truck Series race at
Pocono Raceway.
Sadler, the last driver to make his qualifying attempt in the 38-t
Arizona, Pittsburgh in 5-player trade >>
NEW YORK (AP) -The Arizona Diamondbacks have traded catcher Chris Snyder, minor league shortstop Pedro Ciriaco and cash to the Pittsburgh Pirates for infielder Bobby Crosby, outfielder Ryan Church and right-hander D.J. Carrasco.Copyright © 2005
Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.
After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.
The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).
To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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